Zoo May Raise Admission Prices Board Also Wants Promotion Blitz

SANFORD — Directors of the Central Florida Zoo have proposed 67 percent to 100 percent increases in admission fees, plus a media blitz, to raise public awareness, revenues and attendance.

The increase is needed to help pay for several measures tentatively approved by the board of directors last week to revamp the zoo's operating and promotional procedures.

The board approved a national search for a new zoo director and an audit of the zoo's finances and discussed hiring a marketing specialist and a consultant to revise the zoo's chain of command.

Harold J. Buckland, president of Source One Enterprises, an Orlando marketing company, urged board members Thursday night to look at the zoo as a business and to begin luring visitors from other local attractions with a promotional blitz.

Buckland, whose clients have included Sea World, Boardwalk and Baseball and Sears Travel, said that the zoo's admission fee is so low it may be considered ''a negative perceived value'' when compared with the price of other attractions.

Under the proposal, adult admission would increase from $3.50 to $5.25, the children's fee would jump from $1.50 to $2.50 and the cost for seniors 60 years and over would double from $2 to $4.

Buckland said the increase could be offset for residents through special group rates and the distribution of coupons.

''Disney World, Sea World and Cypress Gardens raise their rates a couple times a year without batting an eyelash,'' he said. ''They have not found price resistance and their gate receipts keep increasing. This price would still let the zoo remain an attractive alternative to the lower- and middle- income family.''

Buckland estimated that gate receipts would increase from $195,000 a year to $229,000 by September 1989. He asked for a two-year contract on a commission of 50 cents for every $1 the zoo makes above a figure projected by the board. He said the zoo could use its added income to improve the zoo's exhibits, add more staff and advertise the Sanford park.

Board member John Smith, who had worked with Buckland at Sea World, praised the offer, saying the zoo would have no up-front costs or expenses to get the promotions going.

Bob Santulli, a board member, questioned how the price increase would work without initially improving exhibits or adding value to the park.

Buckland replied that most people do not know the current admission fees and will not notice or question the increase.

''We have an excellent opportunity here,'' said Wayne Weinberg, president- elect of the board. ''The worst scenario is to break even with maximum exposure for the zoo.''

Board president Susan Morris endorsed the idea and asked for a committee to evaluate Buckland's commission and come back next month with a plan to be approved by the board. She said Buckland would be in charge of promoting the zoo, while Bonnie Sharp would continue planning fund-raisers at her contracted fee of $3,000 a month.

The board also decided to begin a search for a new zoo director. The zoo will pay to send three board members and its acting director and curator, Ed Posey, to interview prospective applicants this week at a national zoo director's convention in Portland, Ore. Smith, former board president, said he and other board members decided it would be cheaper to send them to the seven-day convention than fly several applicants to Florida for interviews.

Morris and Posey will fly to Portland from Orlando. Two other members, Smith and Bryce Baker, will fly in from business trips elsewhere across the country.

A search committee will meet early this week to determine the qualifications needed by the new director, Smith said. The board fired executive director Al Rozon three months ago, setting off a continuing legal dispute over recall of the board.

Seminole Circuit Judge O.H. Eaton Jr. will hear a case Oct. 8 filed by three former board members asking for clarification of the zoo's bylaws concerning recall of the board of directors.

A special meeting on recall was adjourned last month after the board's attorney said a vote could not be taken because a quorum of 128 zoo society members was not present.

In other zoo business, a proposal to hire the Orlando Consulting Group of Winter Park to analyze job descriptions at the park was revised by board members, who felt the task should wait until the new director is hired.

The company had offered to do the job for $3,000 to $4,500, depending on the extent of services. The board will ask the group to give a price for drafting a job description for the executive director

Meanwhile, Kane and Associates, a Winter Park accounting firm, has volunteered to conduct a free operational and financial audit for the zoo. The report is expected to be completed this month.